21st Mar 2011, 15:50

The Taurus 5MT is in the shop being worked on as of today; brake drum and shoes? Replaced fuel line, repaired rotors, and flex lines being replaced. Calipers seem to be fine. New pads being installed, along with new flex lines.

Had a look at the undercarriage; not bad shape. I had to repair three small areas due to rust. Not bad for a vehicle that's been sitting for a couple of years.

Next task to be done is an emissions test. In Ontario Canada, vehicles over 20 years do not require emissions tests, but I will do it, plus an oil change needs to be done. I have 2 spare radiators and several other parts.

23rd May 2009, 15:25

Could you please tell me where, if at all, you found the Engine Computer for the 1987 Ford Taurus MT5. I have one and I love it, but I need to replace the computer and have not located the correct one with the part number of E7DF-12A650-ZB OR ZD.

1st Dec 2009, 16:00

I owned an Mauve colored 1986 MT5 for about a year in a half, buying it new at a dealership in February that year. The car was loaded with every option except a moon roof and the total price was still less than $18,000. I think they were having trouble getting people interested in a manual shift in a car whose immediate appeal was to older people. I liked the car right away and it attracted a lot of attention. I had no idea at the time how truly rare the car was. The handling and build quality was the best of any American car at the time (IMHO). I moved to NW Arkansas in late 1986 and it was very nimble on the twisty roads of the Ozarks. I slapped a set of Pirelli's on and it was amazingly composed on any kind of highway. The car reminded me a lot of the Audi 5000.

I kept it until early 1988 trading it in on a new Accord. Though it never left me stranded, it did have its share of issues. The serpentine belt broke and caused the car to overheat. It and the hoses were replaced under warranty. It's main weakness was lack of power; not such a big deal on the flat lands of Texas, but a real encumbrance in rural Arkansas.

1987 Ford Taurus from North America

Summary:

Reliable for a year, then is a bottomless money pit

Faults:

The car was already in poor condition, having previously belonged to my great-aunt who had passed away. She didn't drive, so it sat in her yard for about 5 years and was driven only once or twice a year. The first repairs cost me about $5000 (I got the car for free) & just about everything needed to be replaced.

Now I have at least 2 auto shop visits per year for costly repairs.

Alternator: replaced 4-5 times since I've owned the car.

Starter: Replaced twice.

2nd part to battery/alternator (can't remember name) : Had to be replaced.

Breaks: had to be replaced.

Coolant: always leaks, replaced the tubes too many times to count, usually have to do so at least once a year.

Steering column: needed to be replaced after it had locked up & new steering seems to be on it's way out as well.

Headlights: frequently burns out before a month has passed.

Body: Paint peeled quickly. Parts of car (mainly cosmetic) are starting to fall off for no apparent reason (I've never gotten into an accident or anything enough to cause said body damage).

A/C: long since broken when my great-aunt had it & was too expensive to repair.

Interior: Inside handles are falling off (I've tried screwing them back on, but they keep coming off), windows sometimes don't respond to the electric buttons, dashboard is way past being shot.

Transmission: On it's way out, hopefully I can replace it before then.

General Comments:

This car is expensive to own. If not for the emotional significance, I'd have junked it ages ago. Luckily I know a good mechanic & he's kept it running for me, but now it's to the point where a brand new car would be cheaper & more sanity saving.

Unless you want a practice car to work on, I do not recommend this car.

This car was good when I first got it & had the repairs done, since my needs were small & my travel was all within one city. Now that I'm traveling about 20 miles away from the house to work, it's not even close to being reliable.

17th Nov 2009, 23:07

Bought it used with only 10,000 miles on it. Loved it for its roominess, good handling, seemingly intelligent design. Then the nightmare started. I have probably blocked out most of what went wrong with this car -- despite faithful maintenance. The list was endless. The car made it to 90,000 miles only because I couldn't afford to buy a better used car. From what I can remember:

Seat mountings broke while we were on the interstate -- barely kept wheel in my hands as my knees flung upward and bottom of steering wheel. From normal use (and no, we aren't obese).

Caught fire (AC compressor seized, so belt was rubbing against frozen wheel = friction = GET THE KIDS OUT OF THEIR CHILD SEATS AND RUN!). Burned all nearby hoses, belts, and wires.

Transmission failed at 25K, 45K, and 65K.

Untraceable short that fried the battery if the car sat for more than 24 hours. Had to disconnect battery if not going to drive car for a day.

So much water leaked inside driver's door that the door rotted from the inside out.

And as I said, this is a partial list, on a car we took very good care of. Made me very reluctant to buy another Ford for years. All of which was a shame, because when the car actually ran, I loved driving it.